As the global pandemic persists, tensions between the U.S. and China grow politically, militarily  economically, culturally and clandestinely. Check out these titles and learn more about modern China, its growing influence in regional and global affairs and the U.S strategy to combat the threat.

How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region, by Joe Studwell, link

The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage, By: Alexandra Harney, link

China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, By: Arthur R. Kroeber,  link

China’s Next Strategic Advantage: From Imitation to Innovation, by George S. Yip, Bruce McKern, link

China, Inc., By: Ted C. Fishman, link

Asian Waters: The Struggle over the South China Sea and the Strategy of Chinese Expansion, By: Humphrey Hawksley, link

Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer, By: Peter Mattis, Matthew Brazil, link

In the Dragon’s Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century, by Sebastian Strangio, link

The Myth of Chinese Capitalism: The Worker, the Factory, and the Future of the World, by Dexter Roberts, link

 

As delayed primaries continue all over the country and with the general election looming a rising debate on mail-in voting and potential voter fraud is gaining national attention. Learn all about voting rights, electoral history, and current voter trends with these books:

Down for the Count: Dirty Elections and the Rotten History of Democracy in America, By: Andrew Gumbel, link

Electoral Dysfunction: A Survival Manual for American Voters, By: Victoria Bassetti, link

It’s Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics, By: David Faris, link

The Fight to Vote, by Michael Waldman, link

They’re Not Listening: How the Elites Created the Nationalist Populist Revolution, By: Ryan James Girdusky, Harlan Hill, link

Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Campaigns, by Joseph Cummins, link

Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, by Ari Berman, link

Inside the Mind of a Voter: A New Approach to Electoral Psychology, By: Michael Bruter, Sarah Harrison, link

100 Years of the Nineteenth Amendment: An Appraisal of Women’s Political Activism, link

 

New discoveries made in Mexico shed light on some Aztec folklore and the Spanish conquest. Learn more about pre-Columbian South America and the social history of the region with these listens:

Walking the Americas: 1,800 Miles, Eight Countries, and One Incredible Journey from Mexico to Colombia, by Levison Wood, link

Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs, by Buddy Levy, link

Empire: A New History of the World: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Civilizations, By Paul Strathern, link

Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs, by Camilla Townsend, link

It’s summertime and the U.S National Parks are in the news. Congress passes funding legislation and protective measures for Parks and monuments in a rare bi-partisan vote, rescues become frequent in the warm months and keep rangers busy and a python hunt in the Everglades earn a few women some local notoriety. Learn more about our public lands and all those Americans who work at, play in and protect our National Parks:

Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park, by Lee H. Whittlesey, link

Death, Daring, and Disaster: Search and Rescue in the National Parks, by Charles R. “Butch” Farabee, Jr., link

 Deep into Yellowstone: A Year’s Immersion in Grandeur and Controversy, by Rick Lamplugh, link

 Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone, by George Black, link

Rangers, Trappers, and Trailblazers: Early Adventures in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park, by John Fraley, link

The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks, by Terry Tempest Williams, link

 The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise, by Michael Grunwald, link

 

Using food to study and record history is becoming a norm for geneticists, academics, and chefs alike. Follow the global cuisine timeline and take a deep dish dive into the food we eat with these titles:

The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food—Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation’s Food Was Seasonal, Regional, and Traditional—from the Lost WPA Files, by Mark Kurlansky, link

A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment, by Stephane Henaut, Jeni Mitchell, link

A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression, by Jane Ziegelman, Andrew Coe, link

An Edible History of Humanity, by Tom Standage, link

Fruit from the Sands:The Silk Road Origins of the Foods We Eat, by  Robert N. Spengler III, link

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South, by Michael W. Twitty, link

The Taste of Empire: How Britain’s Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World, by Lizzie Collingham, link